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are not intended to refer to specific places or to living persons
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Have A Little
Faith

Book 2

The Devil’s
Darlings Series

By

GLORIA HERRMANN

Dedication

I’m related to a
wonderful poet from many years ago. Robert Herrick touched on the
many facets of life, and he often wrote about love. The majority of
his work is seductive, thought provoking, and still rings true where
matters of the heart are concerned. It would seem that his love of
words, and love itself, has been passed down through the many
generations, and has found its way into my own heart. I love romance;
the butterflies, the chase, and the happily ever after. It’s why I
write what I do. Because much like Robert Herrick, I love love
too.

Of Love

By Robert Herrick

I do not love,
nor can it be LOVE will in vain spend shafts on me;

I did this
godhead once defy,

Since which I
freeze, but cannot fry

Yet out, alas!
The death’s the same,

Kill’d by a
frost or by a flame

Of Love II

By Robert Herrick

How love came in
I do not know

Whether by the
eye, or ear; or no;

Or whether with
the soul it came

(At first)
infused with the same;

Whether in part
‘tis here or there,

Or, like the
soul, whole everywhere,

This troubles me:
but I as well

As any other this
can tell:

That when from
hence she does depart

The outlet then
is from the heart.

Prologue

So, by now, you’ve
undoubtedly heard about my baby sister, Grace, and her wonderful
little adventure. She had to pick the roughest time of the year (for
our father, anyway) to leave home. She left at Christmas, of all
times. Who does that? In some ways, I don’t blame Grace for wanting
to go out there and taste something sweeter than our life here.
Oh...where is here? Here is Hell. Yep, that’s my home sweet home.
It’s not at all like you probably imagine. Yes, there are demons,
fiery pits, and a lot of torture going on. However, there are
different levels. Think of it like a really grand hotel, or a
corporate building. Each floor houses various departments, because
not all sins are created equal. And we live in the penthouse. That’s
right, the very top floor. We’re tucked safe and sound up there
above all the suffering. Dad did a fantastic job making it rather
cozy for us girls. We’ve got everything imaginable there. So,
there’s truly no reason why Grace should have ever left.

Nonetheless, she did
leave. She had absolutely no desire whatsoever to return home. Dad
even went after his favorite daughter to bring her home, yet that
hadn’t work out quite as he’d planned.

Dad is livid, I
mean, absolutely steaming mad at Gracie right now. He’s been a real
joy to be around as you can imagine. Ha! To be honest, I’m a little
afraid for her. I’ve never seen him quite like this, and I know
now, I’m the only who can help her. Don’t get me started on my
other little sister, Hope. She’s a real peach, and I’ve had about
all that I can stand of her.

I’m usually fairly
easy going, and I put up with far more than I should have to. I’ve
often been referred to as a welcome mat, but as their older sister, I
feel it’s my responsibility to look after them, and perhaps even
fill the role as their mother. Things didn’t exactly work out with
Dad and our moms. What would anyone expect from a guy, who has earned
so many clever names; Chief Rebel Angel, the Father of Lies, the
Prince of Darkness, the Fallen Angel, El Diablo, need I go on? No? I
didn’t think so.

In case you somehow
didn’t catch my drift, Dad is the devil. He’s also a rotten son
from what I’ve heard, but we try not to hold that against him. He’s
been a fantastic father, maybe a little overprotective at times, but
what father isn’t?

Everything is so
messed up. I’m partially to blame, I suppose. I agreed to Gracie’s
hair brained scheme in the first place, and just look how things
turned out. She’s in love with some human, but that’s all Hope’s
fault. I can fix this. I have to. The infamous words of Yoda, “Do.
Or do not. There is no try.”, have become my mantra for this
mission.

Let’s just say, I
will go through Hell and back to find her...and bring her home.

Chapter 1

Faith

I’d almost
forgotten how bright it was on Earth. We’re talking utterly
blinding.
We don’t exactly get a ton of sunny days where I live. I quickly
shield my eyes with my Chanel pearl cat-eye sunglasses. Yes, I said
Chanel. Coco is one of my favorite designers, right up there with
Louis Vuitton. They say the devil wears Prada, but, in all truth, Dad
is more of an Armani kind of guy.

It was much
different now than the last time I’d visited. Last time, it was
pouring rain, and we had gotten drenched before we even had an
opportunity to get our bearings. Today it was sunny, with hardened
dirty mounds of snow remaining along the streets of downtown Seattle.
I figured I had better start here to look for Gracie - right where
we’d left her. Well, technically Gracie shoved Hope through the
portal that leads us back home, and stayed put here in Seattle. I
even tried to go back for her, but the threshold had already sealed
shut. I was afraid that it would still be closed when I traveled this
morning. When it had magically opened for me, I knew that luck was on
my side. I knew this plan of mine might actually work, and everything
would turn out great. Okay, so, I’m an optimist. Sue me.

All that mattered
was that I was here. However, there had been one small glitch, I
think Ariel, Gracie’s demon bestie, may have seen me. Trust me, I
tried to be ultra-sneaky, however that’s not exactly something I’m
very good at. No doubt, Ariel will run and tell my father. That’ll
go over great, I’m sure. Leave it to my sweet little sister to
befriend a demon. They, above everyone, should never be trusted. And
therein lies the problem with Gracie. She trusts anyone and everyone.
Now, do you see why I’m so worried? She’s out there somewhere,
and anyone could be taking advantage of her.

***

Damn, another tiny
hiccup. This trip is proving to be a little more challenging than I
had expected. I just tried to check into that fabulous hotel that
we’d stayed at last time. Apparently, our credit is no longer good
there. Luckily, I keep a lot of paper around. And by paper, I mean
cold hard cash. Cash will get you anything, and take you just about
anywhere. I don’t rely on that plastic junk. I’m old school, I
guess you could say.

After shelling out
payment for my room, and a few extras bills, aka, hush money to the
manager, I’m all settled in. This room is different from the one
we’d stayed in last time. It’s smaller, but has a much better
view. There’s only one bed, which is perfect for the short stay I
have planned. The rich maroon and soft gold tones are regal and
lovely. There is a large gift basket on the small granite table with
a bottle of champagne neatly tucked inside of it. I pull it out to
inspect the label. This place knows luxury well. I appreciate their
attention to detail.

Enough stalling, I
need to come up with a plan of some kind; a blueprint on how I’m
going to make this little mission of mine a success. I had to try and
think where Grace was at. Where would I be hiding out? Probably
shacking up with some gorgeous guy. For the life of me, I couldn’t
recall the man’s name that she’d fallen in love with. I just knew
that he was a dog doctor, something like that. Maybe I should have
prepared a little more for this mission. That would have meant asking
Dad some questions, and then he’d figure out that I was going after
Gracie. And trust me, I certainly didn’t need him on my case. Grace
has always been Dad’s favorite. It doesn’t upset me one bit. I’m
not really the jealous type. Hope, on the other hand, is. Hope has
had it out for Gracie from the moment she was born. Not me, I was
overjoyed when Grace entered our little family, despite the very sad
circumstances that I assume she’s already shared with you all. I
felt an immediate connection with her. I knew that she would need me,
but what I hadn’t realized until recently, was just how much I had
come to rely on her.

As I’m holding the
bottle of champagne, I’m remembering all of the crazy times I’d
shared with my baby sister. I miss her terribly. I place the bottle
into the small refrigerator, and survey the room again.

Gosh, I hope this
doesn’t take longer than necessary. If it does, at least I’ll be
comfortable here. It was time to get to business - no more foolin’
around, and getting caught up in ancient history. There would be
plenty of time to remember all of our good memories together once she
was safely back in Hell. My sister needs me to find her…now. I
leave my room, and exit the hotel to begin my search.

I’m feeling a tad
dizzy as I stare up at the tall buildings that surround my hotel.
They block out the sunlight and cast long dark shadows everywhere. It
would be easy to feel insignificant in this city. Everything is
massive, loud, and overwhelming. Just another reminder why I needed
to complete this mission quickly. It wasn’t that I hated Earth, but
it certainly wasn’t home. I know it sounds absolutely insane to say
that Hell is better than a lively city like Seattle, and that’s not
exactly what I mean. It’s just that this place is so different. I
feel lost here. And maybe even a little scared. I need to find Grace,
and end all of this silly nonsense. I spot a coffee shop, and I could
have sworn it called my name. Is it so bad that I want to properly
caffeinate myself before I begin the heavy task of saving my precious
Gracie? Yeah, I didn’t think so either.

***

Oh, where to begin.
For starters, packing more sensible footwear should have been a tad
higher on my list of priorities. My poor Christian Louboutin heels,
is all I have to say. I’m back in my room sans Grace. Yep, you got
it, I haven’t found her yet. It’s times like this that I wished I
had one of those, oh what are they called...yes, a cell phone. Then I
could track her little ass down.

Deep breaths.
Sorry, if I seem a bit out of sorts and maybe even a tad grumpy, but
I’ve just spent nearly an entire day scouring this city for Grace.
I have no clue where she is. Maybe I should have brought Hope with
me, at least she’d have an idea as to what to do. Both of my
sisters are incredibly clever, unlike yours truly. What in the heck
had I been thinking? Here I was, defeated, not to mention in a whole
lot of pain, and with no real direction on how to proceed next.

I rub my aching toes
and decide to make use of that gigantic tub in my bathroom, one fit
for royalty. A little pampering might be just what the doctor
ordered. Maybe I could come up with a solid plan after soaking. It
was worth a shot, right?

As I submerge my
body in the milky bubble bath, I cannot tell you how amazing it
feels. I plug my nose and slide completely under the water. I love
the sensation of being fully surrounded by the luxurious warmth. I
feel the tension lodged inside my muscles dissipate. I popped up to
get air, and the scented candles I had lit, filled the room with a
delicate floral aroma. This was more than nice, it was a
well-deserved treat for the torture I’d endured today.

I stay in the water
until it got colder than I could stand. I toweled off and throw on
the soft terry cloth robe and slippers the hotel graciously provided.
I venture out of the bathroom and stare out the massive window, the
glittery lights of the Seattle skyline shone back at me. I would give
Grace one thing, it was gorgeous here at night. It seemed to come
alive. It became bright and energized. It reminded me of New York, a
very condensed, miniature version, but it had that same glow.

Time to come clean
about a few things. This is not my first, or second time at the
rodeo. I’ve been to Earth more than a few times. It was long before
either Hope or Grace was born. I went on business trips with Dad when
I was just a tiny tot. It was such a special time for us. A daddy and
his daughter jet setting around the world. He showed me so many
things when we traveled. We went literally everywhere.
I mean I’ve been all over the globe; Paris, Hong Kong, New York,
London, you name it. That’s how I got so into fashion. I was
exposed to a variety of culture all thanks to my flamboyant father.
No designer knockoffs for his little princess.

My sisters have no
clue about my life before they were born. Once Hope entered our
world, things changed…drastically. To be honest, Dad wasn’t
really expecting another daughter, or any child for that matter. I
sort of think that if anything, he’d hoped for a son; someone to
carry on the name and pass on his legacy to. I was thrilled at the
idea of finally having a playmate, a best friend, someone to share
secrets with: A sister.

Hope didn’t
exactly live up to my expectations. The reality was that she was
jealous right from the start. I did nothing but shower my new baby
sister with love and affection, but it wasn’t me that she wanted it
from. It wasn’t as though Dad was cold or unloving towards Hope. If
anything, I got the short end of the stick. Gone were the trips
around the world, and my special time alone with him. Things were
definitely different after Hope was born, but I had accepted my new
life.

Then a few years
later, I was given another sister. She lived up to my wish of what a
sister should be. Gracie became my dear and precious baby sister. I
couldn’t have asked for a sweeter, kinder, and more loving sister
and friend. She was everything Hope wasn’t. And soon, they were at
odds. I felt that it was my duty, being the oldest and all, to play
peacekeeper, or at the very least to keep them from killing
one another.

Did I miss my old
life? You bet I did. It was a heck of a lot easier, that’s for
sure. There are moments when I nearly forget how things used to be. I
wouldn’t trade having Grace in my life for anything, and maybe
that’s why I’m so desperate to find her. My biggest fear is that
I may never see her again. So much for that optimistic attitude I was
rockin’ earlier. I tried to banish those doubts because they were
just too awful to contemplate. No, this wasn’t just me wanting
to find my little sister, I absolutely had
to. Everything depended on it. With Dad being so pissed off at the
moment, I wasn’t sure how long he’d wait before attempting to go
after her again. Then, there was Hope. I was almost worried that she
would attempt to bring Gracie back herself, just to earn some major
brownie points with her daddy.

We were just one big
happy dysfunctional family.

I know that Gracie
is out there somewhere, among those twinkling gold lights. I just
need to try really hard and I could do this. I yawn, exhaustion has
burrowed its way inside me. A good night’s sleep will help
rejuvenate me, because tomorrow, I have to locate Grace. I’m
certain by now that Dad probably has figured out I wasn’t home. The
sooner I get back with Grace in tow, the better.